Where to Celebrate Burns Night in Chicago
January 25th is the birthday of Scottish bard, Robert Burns. You know him for writing poems like “Auld Lang Syne” and “A Red Red Rose.” Scotland’s national poet, and perhaps […]
826CHI Hosts Charitable Scrabble Tournament
826CHI, the nonprofit creative writing and tutoring center for children, is hosting a charity scrabble tournament in late February. The tournament pits teams of two against each other in a […]
The Defender: How the Legendary Black Newspaper Changed America by Ethan Michaeli
Available now from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in hardcover for $20.oo. Throughout the 20th century, African-Americans faced extraordinary difficulties as they tried to earn a decent living and break the barriers that […]
Fillet of Solo 2016 Serves Up Storytelling Goodness
Lifeline Theatre presents Fillet of Solo, a festival which celebrates Chicago’s storytelling and live lit scene. 14 storytelling collectives and solo performances come together for a three-week, multi-venue performance of […]
R.O.W.E. Week 2: Zelda
I’m Brianna Kratz, a Chicago poet and reader. For 2016 I am reading only women authors for my Read Only Women Experiment (R.O.W.E.). For weekly updates on challenges, conversations, and […]
Worldwide Reading Event: Local Authors Support Jailed Poet Ashraf Fayadh
Live lit events in Chicago can achieve various things at different times. They can be a celebration, perhaps for a new book. They can be a monthly or an annual […]
CHIRP Radio’s “First Blood” at Martyrs’
CHIRP Radio will be presenting its quarterly storytelling event The First Time with its newest incarnation First Blood January 14 at Martyrs’. The event will include a collection of talented […]
R.O.W.E. Week 1: A Question of Apology
I’m Brianna Kratz, a Chicago poet and reader. For 2016 I am reading only women authors for my Read Only Women Experiment (R.O.W.E.). For weekly updates on challenges, conversations, and […]
Dorothy Milne on Chicago’s Vibrant Storytelling Scene and the 19th Year of Fillet of Solo
Fillet of Solo is an annual three week, multi-venue festival celebrating Chicago’s storytelling and live lit scene. Originally produced by Live Bait Theatre, the festival now takes place in Rogers […]
The Chicago Review of Terrible Books: OINK on the Farm!
In the last two years, the literary world was stunned by two unexpected—indeed, unasked for—sequels to literary classics. The first, 2015’s “Go Set a Watchman,” set off a firestorm of […]
Q&A With Story Sessions’ Jill Howe and Rachael Smith
Like the Poetry Slam of the ’90s and early aughts, storytelling is having its live lit moment in the sun in recent years. Popularized by shows such as The Moth […]
Preview: Story Jam at the Wilmette Theatre
I’m talking on the phone to Chicago based singer songwriter and bandleader Stephanie Rogers. She tells me about her January 23rd Story Jam performance at the Wilmette Theater. Rogers acts […]